Ferdinand recall unlikely

Roy Hodgson set to name squad at midday

Rio Ferdinand is set to miss out on a spot in England's squad to face San Marino and Poland when it is named on Thursday

Ferdinand believed his omission from Euro 2012 was a direct result of Hodgson's decision to select John Terry and a belief it would cause too much conflict between the centre-halves.

With Terry now retired, claiming his position has been made "untenable" by the FA, in theory the way is clear for a Ferdinand recall.

But, from Sir Alex Ferguson, to Gary Neville, to reported chat between Hodgson and random London Underground travellers, the vibes have been negative.

And when Hodgson unveils his squad this lunchtime for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland, Ferdinand is not expected to be picked.

With Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka - who hardly covered themselves in glory as a pairing against Ukraine last month when Terry missed out through injury - and Gary Cahill virtually certain to be involved, the question of who actually will be Hodgson's fourth central defender is rather tricky.

The obvious next choice would have been Tottenham's Steven Caulker - but he has been named in Stuart Pearce's Under-21 squad for their double-header with Serbia.

If Caulker was overlooked, other than Ferdinand and with Micah Richards still injured, Stoke's Ryan Shawcross has been spoken about as a potential England player in the past.

Stay tuned to Sky Sports NewsHD and Skysports.com from midday as we will bring you the England squad announcement as it happens.